Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

54. Brendon

"I'll try," I said. "But I reserve the right to be mad if it's appropriate. It's not something you did that you just remembered, is it?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Dylan told me last night that someone spiked some drinks with X. I don't know that Brandi didn't have one. Or if she even knew. And I don't know how to ask. Or who."

I made fists under the table.

"Before I react," I said, trying to keep my cool, and remembering the bloodwork she'd had done after the accident. It had shown nothing in her system. "Please tell me you didn't know then."

"I didn't. I swear. Dylan said it was someone who doesn't go to Mulholland who did it. And I know I didn't have any spiked drink because I drank from cans I opened only. And I never left my drink alone. If I did, I got a new one. I know better than to trust people," she said.

It made me a little sad to hear her say that because I knew she had had so many times where her trust had been broken. And this was just one more item that made me sad that Samantha went through life with a tenuous hold on her trust of the few she did trust. I knew even that trust could be on shaky ground. Samantha didn't trust easily, and when she did, she took a long time to trust again if someone broke that trust. I'd learned that the hard way.

"We know you were okay. Your bloodwork after..." I stopped. "It was fine."

Samantha nodded.

"I remember, all night I was really, really careful. I didn't want to piss you and Aunt Sarah off. You didn't have to let me go out because of the last time and I wanted to show you I could be trusted. That I would follow our rules."

"We trust you, Sam. Even after last time. We were just... look, I don't want to drag that all back up. It's in the past and we've all moved past that incident."

Sam nodded. She didn't need to be reminded.

"You did, however, have some THC in your system," I said. She opened her mouth to refute that but I put my hand up to stop her.

"The amount they measured, the doctor said was about what would be expected from someone who might have been near someone who'd been smoking."

She nodded.

"Yeah. I didn't have anything," she said. "But there were a few people smoking."

I nodded. I was a teenager once. I still smoked weed.

"So," I said. "What are you thinking?"

"About what?" She asked.

"Ashton," I said.

Samantha sighed.

"I'm seeing Dr. Angela tomorrow. I'll ask her what she thinks, too. I don't know. It's not up to me to forgive him, is it?"

"I don't know," I said. "I think that's something you need to think on. I'm happy to toss ideas back and forth with you and talk it through with you until you see Dr. Angela. Sarah would be happy to, as well. But yeah, I don't know where forgiveness fits in with that whole... thing."

Samantha smirked.

"That whole 'thing' being me nearly getting killed by a dump truck?"

"Yeah," I smiled at her. "That whole thing."

She shook her head and smiled a little.

"You're so weird," she said to me.

"I know," I said. "I write a whole album about being weird."

"And rare," she smirked.

"Indeed," I grinned back at her. "Ready to go?"

She looked down at her cup and nodded.